Dec 19, 2018 21:00:00

4-year-old boy uses Siri to save unconscious mother

Siri , the voice assistant built into Apple's iOS, processes spoken words to answer questions and access web services. A 4-year-old boy reportedly used Siri to save his mother's life after she lost consciousness.

Boy, 4, uses Siri to call 999 after mum collapses - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-46557335

Four-year-old used Siri to get help for his unconscious mom
https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/12/18/four-year-old-used-siri-to-get-help-for-his-unconscious-mom

Beau Austin, who lives in Pembrokeshire, in southwest Wales , UK, discovered his mother, Jess, unconscious one morning. Jess, who was pregnant at the time, had been taking medication to treat morning sickness and had lost consciousness as a side effect of the medication.

Beau, who was used to talking to digital assistants such as Siri and Alexa, saw Jess unconscious and asked Siri on Jess's iPhone to call 999 , the UK emergency number .

The BBC released a transcript of the conversation between Beau and emergency service operator Ashley Page, who received the call.

Beau Austin has been given a bravery award


'This is emergency service. Can you tell me the address of where the emergency occurred?' Paige asked.

'That person is sick,' answers Beau.

'Is that person sick?' Paige asks.

'Yes, my mother is sick,' Beau replies.

When Paige asked, 'Is anyone with me?'

'My mom is here,' Beau replied.

After Beau contacted emergency services and gave them his home address, Jess briefly regained consciousness and was able to confirm that Beau had given her the correct address. However, shortly thereafter, Jess nearly lost consciousness again, and Beau had to speak to Paige over the phone to learn how to keep Jess awake.

Jess was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and recovered. 'It was just me and Beau at home at the time. Beau did a great job,' she said. She was amazed that Beau was able to use Siri in that way. Beau said he had seen it on TV before, explaining how to use Siri to call emergency numbers.

'Beau's knowledge of Siri, his recognition of his home address, and his calmness all helped his mother,' said Paige, who received the call. Later, emergency services mascot Jack and a community team from

the National Health Service (NHS) visited Beau's school to present him with a certificate and a bag of goodies. The mascot is Jack on the far left, his mother Jess to his right, Beau holding the certificate, and Paige standing on the far right.

Fiona MacLean, user experience manager for the NHS's community team, said, 'Beau's case shows how important it is for children to know their home address, and ideally their postcode.' She said she would work with schools and local communities to ensure children know their home address and what to do in an emergency.